Manic symptoms in a non-referred adolescent population

Using a structured interview with 150 randomly selected 14-16-year-olds and their parents, we found 20 who endorsed four or more manic symptoms of at least 2 days duration. Compared to the rest of the sample, these teenagers had significantly higher rates of attention deficit, conduct, and anxiety disorders and psychotic symptoms, and were seen as needing treatment by the interviewers. However, most of the pathology was endorsed by teenagers rather than parents. Other assessments confirmed this group as dysphoric, impulsive and emotionally labile. We discuss the normative and diagnostic implications of these findings though long-term follow-up is necessary to draw more certain conclusions.